Many good points made here Emilis. I again sum it up with my "whatever it takes." Your point about ownership is a good one. Do you want to own a glider? You can ( Emilis offers some ideas about how) Will it be the one of your dreams? That depends on how much money you have. In any case it will become the best thing you ever did- no matter the performance. Sometimes compromises are necessary- it just depends on your priorities.
PS I have located a source of tubes for my Arrow. I'll return the unwanted tyre to you Emilis, I'll keep the one I require and I'll refund you for the postage. Again many thanks. David Olsen ----- Original Message ----- From: Emilis Prelgauskas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2001 9:35 PM Subject: [aus-soaring] Thomas the tank engine > To continue the essential discussion amongst opinion leaders within the > sport of gliding toward a sustainable future:- > > In amongst the present thread on getting gliding as pilots, there are a > number of topics where several correspondents have defined them facing > exclusion, on access and cost grounds. > > If I remember my youth correctly, what distinguished Thomas from the other > locos was that he 'thought he could, thought he could'. > > > So, I am not as dismissive as some of Mike's thought of gliding sites close > to urban populations for pilots to go flying. > (And I guess I've had more embryo gliding sites than anyone else so I have > some real world experience to back my thoughts.) > > Sure, why shouldn't a small group of experienced pilots operate from a strip > within controlled airspace or under a low ceiling. With motorgliders, you > can cruise in and out for soaring OCTA. It has been done even with pure > sailplanes - Lake George in Canberra, O'Halloran Hill inside Adelaide > Airport's circuit area. Sure, these aren't training sites, but as a quick > convenient start point for individuals, or for a commercial instructor to do > AEFs, why not. > The proof of concept happens when someone does the groundwork and makes it > happen (as it has before). So I wouldn't dismiss the practicability of a > site close in to Perth. > Those who do dismiss that option are simply saying they'd rather drive to > the established options than go through the steps to think through the issue > of a new kind of site from first principles. > > > Within the sailplane ownership issue, I similarly have some thoughts. > Saying 'I can't afford....' has in-built into it that the type of sailplane > you aspire to is incompatible with the funds available (and that your club > may have the wherewithall to supply such)[but not necessarily so in the future]. > So the opposite approach is to say 'I will trim my expectation to the funds > available'. > Again from personal experience there are possibilitities in this kind of > thinking from first principles:- > - 4 of us decided we wanted a particular glider; we put in $1k each; presto, > we own that glider. (The fact that it is the oldest surviving prototype of > that particular make happened to be a bonus to that syndicate). > - between another 4 of us during the purchase period, now 2 of us in a > syndicate, we put in $2.5k each, and presto we have a glider (the first one > I've ever in 33 years of flying been able to exceed 100kph on a task in). > > And before you start listing out all the surrounding issues which contribute > to being against your ability to own a glider; you'll be pleasantly amazed > how many people in the fraternity will willingly help you with Form 2's, > maintenance/upgrades, hangarage, site use, launching, ground handling, > retrieves...... as soon as you move from being precious and become a > participating glider pilot/owner. > (People like Leigh & David might like to jump in here.)( Why I send items > like printed material, translations, plywood and tyres to individual pilots > all around Australia). > Hence the title above. > > And if you want to raise the 'but my expectation is the better glider' > element; you may notice how in the last decade it has become harder for many > (most?) clubs to as regularly renew/update their complete fleets compared to > the sport's previous upgrades (1960's Kookaburra to Blanik, 1980's Blanik to > Twin Astir) so that today second hand performance gliders and new gliders of > old design (K21s etc.) dominate the small annual upgrade list. > > --------------------------- > My 2002 resolution; in the interests of the sport's future, I'd like to work > with individual glider pilots interested in getting things done. > (Please note - no GFA bashing) > -- > Emilis Prelgauskas > B.ARCH ARAIA > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > -- > * You are subscribed to the aus-soaring mailing list. > * To Unsubscribe: send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > * with "unsubscribe aus-soaring" in the body of the message > * or with "help" in the body of the message for more information. > -- * You are subscribed to the aus-soaring mailing list. * To Unsubscribe: send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] * with "unsubscribe aus-soaring" in the body of the message * or with "help" in the body of the message for more information.
